Matt's Piano
by BeautifulLie1313
Summary: Picks up 5 years after the end of Don't Let Mello Die Young. Stories told to Matt and all of his flashbacks, playing piano in a bar as he looks for the loved one he lost.Songfic, Billy Joel's Piano man. Yaoi, MxM, implied LXLight & RogerxWatari, etc.
1. There's an Old Man Sitting Next to Me

**AN: So here's the sequel. It picks up right after Matt and Mello made up in DLMDY, and it's told mostly through Matt's eyes. It says that the genre is romance, but I'm sure there will be plenty of other assorted genres mixed in. It is based on Billy Joel's Piano Man. I went with a Billy Joel song again because that's what the last one was, and so it only made sense. The last fic was based off of my third favorite Billy Joel song, this is my second, and I've got one more fic planned that will be based off my very favorite. If you did not read "Don't Let Mello Die Young" I recommend doing so before reading this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemons, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking = + plenty of sad stories.**

**KINDLY review!**

* * *

_There's an Old Man Sitting Next to Me_

_Matt POV_

It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday and the manager gives me a smile. He knows that it's me they've been coming to see to forget about their life for a while (1). I've been playing piano at a western-style bar in Japan for while, ever since I came here to look for Mello. I know he went chasing after Kira, and I thought he might have come to this country. The job started out as a way to make money to search for Mello, but it's become my life now. I guess that's fine, I meat plenty of good people, and old John at the bar, who owns the joint, has a deal with me that as long as I keep playing piano and attracting customers, he'll give me drinks for free, even though I'm underage.

It's been five years since the day Mello was called to Roger's office and given the news that would change our lives. Five years since he packed up and left, telling me that under no circumstances was I to follow him. But at 17, when I was allowed to leave, I did just that, and have been searching for him ever since. Most of my time is consumed by playing the piano, but in the free time I do get I spend looking for him in any place I think he would be, hacking computers to find his name somewhere, anything I can do.

An old man walks into the bar, and I study him for a second. I recognize him as Roger, and he seems to remember me too, because he walked right over and sat down next to me after ordering his tonic and gin. "Roger? What are you doing here?" He smiles, a sad, empty smile, looking down into his glass. "I was just in Japan to visit my dear friend Wammy's grave. Oh how Quillish loved this country. I heard this bar had a hell of a piano player, people say that he's very talented and a nice guy who might listen to an old man's sad tale. I knew it was you."

I smile at the compliment. "Any requests?" I ask as usual, and he looks. I can see the pain in his eyes, and I sympathize. "Just one," he says. "It was our song, Quillish and I. I don't quite remember the name, but it was sad and sweet, and I could hum all of it for you." He began to hum, and I found that I knew the song well. I stroked the keys gently, closing my eyes as I sang.

* * *

_I wake up in Mello's arms, and grin that stupid grin of mine, the one that he thinks is cute. I listen for a while, just to the sound of his breath, and then gently wake him up. I can feel him smile into my hair before he climbs out of bed, shamelessly pulling off his clothes in front of me to change for school. "Mello!" I say, heat rising to my cheeks. He smiles his charming smile and pushes me head first into the bed. "You don't HAVE TO look."_

…...

"_Open your mouth," he says at lunch later that day, holding a forkful of some kind of strange, Scandinavian food in front of my face. I oblige, and he places the food on my tongue. "Mmm," I say. "What is it?"_

"_Kroppkaka," he replies. I give him a confused look. "A Swedish dish made from potatoes, wheat flour, bacon, and onion. I nod, glad that there is nothing strange in it. "Are you from Sweden, Mello?"_

"_No, but my mother was half Swedish. She taught me how to cook." He feeds me another forkful of Kroppkaka. "Where are you from?" I ask, curious to know more about him. "Russia," he replies, "but I never really developed an accent since I spent most of my life alone. I do have a tiny one, but I prefer to mask it." _

_As of then it became my goal to hear Mello's accent._

* * *

"That was beautiful Matt," Roger remarked as I finished the song. "What are you doing, stuck here?"

I tell him this like I tell all the others who ask, "I'm searching for the man I love. Once I find him, I'll follow him anywhere and never let him go, but until then, I'm the piano man, working here at this bar."

Roger gives me one last sad smile before setting his glass down at the bar and leaving, as we are closed for the night.

* * *

**AN: Just so you know… the italics are Matt remembering things, and he is not speaking out loud, it is in his mind. The small dotted lines are time skips inside the memories.**

**1: This is said near the end of Piano Man, and therefore belongs to Billy Joel and not to myself. I guess John also belongs Billy Joel.**


	2. The Waitress is Practicing Politics

**AN: This chapter is dedicated to ILuvYa44. She was one of the first five people to review chapters nine and ten of DLMDY, and I promised them a dedication, so yeah. This chapter features Misa, and I made her a waitress because I can. Despite anything I might say about her at any point in time, I actually like Misa, and find her to be one of the most interesting characters.**

**In each chapter of this story, I will feature one character talking to Matt in the bar. I know that Light is next, then Mikami, Soichiro will be in at some point, I'd love to put Matsuda in if I can find something for him to be upset about. If you have any characters that you want to be featured, tell me in the comments. Remember, it can't be L or Watari because, sadly, they are dead at this point.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemons, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking + plenty of sad stories.**

**KINDLY review!**

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_The Waitress is Practicing Politics_

_Matt POV_

It had been a slow day, but that was to be expected on a Tuesday. I sat at my piano, a bear in one hand, the other one mindlessly playing some common tune.

One of the waitresses, a nice girl named Misa, came to sit by me. She had gotten a job here after moving in with her boyfriend. Since he was always busy, and she wanted a job after leaving her old one (she's an ex-model), she opted to work at the bar she had heard "employed a cute red-head who played the piano like a god and would listen to anyone who liked to talk". She was actually glad I was gay, because now she had someone to talk girl talk with other than her boyfriend's sister, which she sad was a drag because she would never let Misa complain about Light (her boyfriend).

"Mattie, dear, what did you want to do when you grew up?" she asks, trying to fill the silence. I smiled. "A detective," I replied. "How about you?" She laughed. "I wanted to be the first female prime misiter of Japan."

I gave her an odd look. "Really!" she said. "That was the plan. Until about 4th grade, when I started getting teased for it, and decided I wanted to become a model instead."

"Mattie, dear, how many people would it take to rule the world?" I laugh out loud at this question, loving the absurdity of this whole conversation. "I don't know. I assume it would take a lot of people." I replied.

"See, that's what I thought too. But my boyfriend seems to be under the impression that he could rule the world all by himself." Ahh, yes, her infamous boyfriend. "He thinks that other people are useless," she continued, "And he's probably just using me for his own devices."

"Then why are you still with him, Misa?" Maybe he's threatening her, in which case, she should talk to the cops. "Because… we both share a secret that is keeping us together. If not for this secret, we never would have met, and because of it, there's no way we could ever break up." She looks down into her beer, which unlike me she is legally allowed to have.

"I won't ask." Poor Misa. "Here, I know a song that might cheer you up. I began to play and sing, drifting back into my memories.

* * *

_I pull away from his lips in order to catch my breath. "Mello," I whisper, softly into his ear. He pushes me onto my back and straddles me with his knees. He continues kissing me, this time making his way down my jaw bone and neck. He slides his hands up my shirt, intending to remove it. I stop him. 'Mello, no, we should stop here."_

_He looks at me, incredulous. "Matt, what are you, a Jonas Brother? I'm the Christian one, why do you want to wait?"_

"_Mello, I just…" I don't know why I needed so badly to stop him, I just can't go any further. "Matt, it's not like you're gonna get pregnant. What's the big deal?"_

"_I just… I love you so much, and because I love you, I can't let you do this. I can see in your eyes that you're not really ready, I don't know why you're trying to force it." He looks at me, all my emotions bared with my eyes exposed, since he has my goggles. He smiles. "You're right."_

_He climbs off me, and we iat down on the floor. "I'm just… I'm so afraid I'm gonna lose you, I guess I'm just willing to do anything to make sure you stay mine. Does that seem crazy?" He looks insecure, and vulnerable, I want to do anything just to put a smile back on his face."No," I say, and I mean it. "Not all. Do you know how scared I am that I'm going to lose you? I'm terrified. Terrified that one day, you fight wake up and come to your senses, finally realize that I'm not good enough for you, and leave me. It scares me senseless. But that's why we can't sleep with each other yet. Neither of us are ready, and iff we forced it we could end up ruining our relationship."_

"_You're right. And you're an idiot. You are more than good enough. Matt, you're perfect," he says, and I can tell that every word leaving his mouth is true. I smile. "And you should know," I begin, "that I would follow you to the ends of the earth and back. I'd take a bullet for you, hell, I'd take ten, more if you asked. I love you."_

…_.._

"_I am thankful for all of my friends here at Wammy's" says Linda. It is the big family night at Wammy's, Thanksgiving Dinner. Wammy and L sre visiting and they always make us go around the table and say what we're thankful for while holding hands._

"_I am thankful for Mr. Wammy. Without him, I would not have a home." It is also a big night for Mello and I, the day we tell everyone that he is gay (since they already know about me), and we are dating. He is nervous as hell._

"_I am thankful for my first place standing." It's not that the kids were intolerant, no. We always accepted each other._

"_I am thankful that L is visiting us." But… Mello's never introduced his boyfriend to anything resembling a family before, and since this the closest thing anyone here as to one (a family), of course he has the jitters. Plus he has often adamantly and aggressively denied being gay._

"_I am thankful for my best friend Pablo." The chain has almost reached him. He's a wreck._

"_I am thankful for all the awesome teachers here." He squeezes my hand, and I squeeze his back reassuringly. It is his turn to speak._

"_I am thankful for Matt, my…boyfriend."_

* * *

"Wow," breathed Misa. "That was incredible. You always have your eyes closed when you sing. Are you thinking about something?"

I smile, and give her the same reply I give to everyone who asks. "I'm thinking about the man I love. Soon I'll find him again, then I'll follow him anywhere and never let him go, but until then, I'm the piano man, working here at this bar."

She stands up. "You're a funny kid Matt." Then she walked off to wait on a customer who just walked in.

* * *

**AN: Originally, this was going to be the second to last chapter, but I liked it so much that I wanted to have it come earlier. I already have every step of this planned out. Unfortunately thought, I won't be updating as often come Monday, because break will be over and I'll be busy with school and what not again. But I'll update as much as I can over the weekend. Most of my friends are away, so I have a lot of time, I've been writing almost non-stop. Maybe I'll write some chapters in advance so you don't have to wait.**


	3. I Believe This is Killing Me

**AN: This chapter is dedicated tealeyedmoon69. She was one of the first five people to review chapters nine and ten of DLMDY, and I promised them a dedication, so yeah… I loved writing this chapter because I love the idea of Light feeling regret for L's death. In this chapter also lurks a very mini summary of DLMDY, so for those who decided not to read that but read this anyway, you'll understand more things now.**

**In each chapter of this story, I will feature one character talking to Matt in the bar. If you have any characters that you want to be featured, tell me in the comments. Remember, it can't be L or Watari because, sadly, they are dead at this point.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemons, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking + plenty of sad stories.**

**Written to: "The Only Exception" by Paramore and "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls**

**KINDLY review!**

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_I Believe This is Killing Me_

_Matt POV_

An auburn haired man walked into the bar. He sat down in the chair next to my piano, buried his face in his hands, and sighed. I quietly observed him, sharp cut and attractive jawbone, soft, well kept locks falling forward as he slumped over in his seat. His clothes were nice, ironed white shirt, red tie, pleated tan pants. We sat in silence for awhile, until I became concerned and spoke.

"Sir?" I asked, and he looked up at me, eyes sad and cold. "Would you happen to be Matt?" he asked, confusing me. "Yes…" I responded, tentative. "I'm Light, Misa's boyfriend. She noticed how stressed I've been, and said she knew this guy at work who played that piano and was as good as a therapist, so I thought I'd talk to you." He laughed, but it was lacking any heart. "It sounds so silly, now that I hear myself say it."

"This is killing me," he mumbled, and any semblance of a smile he held upon his face abruptly fled away."What is?" I asked, trying to sound concerned, although how much sympathy could I really feel for the man who made Misa so sad. "My job," he replied. "Promise you won't judge me?" his eyes pleaded for comfort, and so I had no choice but to lend it to him. "I'm not straight," he began, "but I don't believe I am gay. I have only ever loved one person in my entire life, and because of my job, he was snatched away from me by the cold hands of death. At each step of the way, I was convinced that I was in the right, that I made no mistakes, but now, now if I could go back and change it all just be with him, I know that I would. He was the world to me, and now I know I can never hold him in my arms again. And I would like to stop doing what I do, but then he would have died in vain. And I am too proud to ever quit anything. So I am driving along, going through the motions, but honestly… I just want it to be over."

I looked at his sad eyes and heard his sad story, and honestly, I did feel for the guy. I know how it feels to have the one you love taken from you, and being so broken you feel as though you cannot go on. His previously cold eyes were now brimming with tears, and I thought I saw a glimmer of emotion in them. "Tell me about him while I play."

And so I listen to this man's—Light's—description of his lover. But in my mind I could only see the love _I _had lost.

* * *

_Dear… Whatever I should call you (notebook, journal?),_

_You exist for the sole purpose of documenting me and Mello's failed attempts to sleep together. I got this idea after we failed three times, and I decided we should keep a log. So… you were born, congratulations._

_Attempt #1:_

_He had told me that he wanted our first time to be perfect, so I spared no effort in making it that way. Flowers, candles, chocolate, more chocolate, the whole she-bang. And it was going to go great, really it was. I had pushed our two beds together, and decided to wait, completely naked and showered in rose petals, on the one big bed until he got home from one of his after school library sessions. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to occupy myself until he got back, and ended up playing the drums on my bare stomach. But that is entirely beside the point. I heard footsteps, loud ones, approaching our room, and stopped my drumming under the assumption it was him. I became nervous, as the door was opening painfully slowly.._

"_MATT! OH MY LORD!" My eyes went wide as I saw who was standing in the doorway. "ROGER! WHAT THE HELL, WHY DIDN'T YOU KNOCK OR SOMETHING?" I instantly moved to cover my crotch with my hands. "I…um… was just trying to find Mello… He's umm… needed in my office…sorry if I… interrupted something…" he muttered, looking anywhere but at me. "Umm… yeah, no, you should probably go now," was my reply, and he slipped awkwardly away. I began to pick up the rose petals, blow out the candles, re-hide the chocolates, and put on some clothes.,_

_After about 15 minutes, Mello came back. He looked around the room, saw me playing my DS, and became confused. "I thought this was gonna be our night Matt, what happened?" _

_And if the old man's behavior towards both of us the next week was any indication, Mello really did take my suggestion to "Ask Roger."_

…_..._

_Mello is on his belly on the bed, as I stretch out with my DS on the floor. "Tell me a story," he says, ever so demanding. I don't mind of course, I'm happy to follow his orders. I smile up him, "What do you want to know?"_

_He looks pensive for a moment, then replies, "Tell me about us." I give him a confused look. "What do you mean?" He laughs at me, like it's obvious. "Tell me about what we were like before, and how we finally got it together."_

_Now it is my turn to laugh. "Mello, you were there the whole time." He sighs. "I know, I know, but want hear it like a story, and I want you to tell it." I couldn't fight it, most of his whims were like this. "Okay…" I began to tell our story, beginning to end._

"_When you first got here, you were terrified to discover I was gay. I, on the other hand, would not stop hitting on you. Obviously, you didn't like that, and I even have pictures of the black eyes to prove it," he laughs at this, blushing, and I continue. "Then on that day, the day you gave me those very attractive black eyes, I decided that you had been through enough. I walked out of the bathroom after tending to eyes, waving my little white flag, and I asked if you would rather we just be friends then… that. You seemed hesitant at first, but—" _

"_But I saw the sincerity in your eyes, the kindness in your smile, and I decided to give you a chance." I smiled up at him, looking into his deep blue eyes, the ones that had been so forgiving on that day. "From that moment on," I began, picking up the story once more, "we were practically joined at the hip. You were the only one I wanted to spend all my time with, and even though the original attraction was arbitrary and meaningless, with each passing day I growing more in more in love with you until it was almost too much to bear."_

"_One day, the day we decided to carve our names into the bench outside, I kissed you in our room. You said nothing, instead you turned and ran. We did not speak much after that. On the very same day as the kiss, you were accepted into the running to succeed L. You became dedicated immediately. Because I loved you, I knew I had to sabotage my own grades. You were too smart for me, however, and after three weeks of not us speaking, you discovered what I was up to and went to confront me. While you were deciding this, I went and did something stupid," I paused for a moment, looking up at him. He was silent. We both knew what was coming next._

"_You walked into to the room… while I was kissing Pablo. You were outraged, and rightly so, although I had no idea how you felt about me at the time. All I knew is that I loved you, I was sorry, and I had regretted what I was doing the moment I saw the hurt in your eyes. But you did not wish to speak to me. You avoided me all day, and eventually we talked, you yelled, told me you loved me, and left. I chased after you, but I went the wrong way and ended up sobbing over you on our bench in the courtyard, planning to make myself suffer as long as possible in the freezing cold. Mean while, you were frantically searching for, assuming now that this was really all your fault. It was both of ours, as we now know, but then you thought you were to blame so you searched everywhere for me. Finally you found me, and I told you how much I loved you, and how sorry I was, whether it was because you have a beautiful, kind soul, or because of the guilt you felt, I like to think it was the former, you forgave me. You told me you loved me and you held me in your arms and I promised to myself and to you never to hurt you again, because you are my life now."_

_He looked at me, long and hard, and then wordlessly got up from the bed. He walked over to me, still silent, and kneeled down to face me. In one swift motion he took my chin in his hand and brought me up to kiss him. He kissed me as passionately as he had on that night, and then he pulled off my goggles, looked me in the eyes and said, "Matt, I love you. I have never loved anyone before, and thought I never would, but Matt, I love you." And I believed every word._

* * *

"Thank you, Matt, for listening," Light said when he had finished his story, and he smiled at me. "No problem Light. But I have one question… If you really don't love Misa, and she doesn't love you, why are you two together?" He doesn't look at all put off by this question, for which I am glad. "Well… as much as she probably told you I am 'using her' for my own personal gain, she is using me for hers. But in a way, I really am glad to have her in my life. Even though I cannot love her, I have learned that after the death of the man I did love, she is what has been holding me together." I could see that he really was a good man, underneath it all, and perhaps this really is what Misa wants for herself right now. I nod at him, and he says, "But what are you doing here?"

I grin and shake my head, supplying him with my generic answer, but I know it will satisfy him. "I'm searching for the man I love, a man who ran away. Soon I'll find him again, then I'll follow him anywhere and never let him go, but until then, I'm the piano man, working here at this bar."

He gives me one last backwards glance before leaving, and I watch the back of a broken man as he disappears into the dark.

* * *

**AN: I have decided to list the song I am listening to while writing this at the beginning of each chapter, mainly because my music has a big influence on the way my writing turns out. I am in desperate need of a name for the journal thing that Matt was keeping, because I want to continue that. So yes, whatever cleaver name you can think of for a journal about Matt's attempts to sleep with Mello or vice-versa. I'm sorry I'm late on publishing this one, I had a lot of free time, and now, not so much. So yuppers. And I still need suggestions for other living death note characters that can come into this bar. **


	4. The Business Men Slowly Get Stoned

**AN: There is no excuse for being this late. Forgive me regardless. This chapter is dedicated MostlyxShortxStories. She was one of the first five people to review chapters nine and ten of DLMDY, and seems to be the only one who reviews this one. Seriously people, reviews give me life, do you even know how dead I am now? Well… This one's Mikami. I love him, so very much. He's one of my favorite "M" characters (Matt, Mello, Matsuda, Mikami, Midou, Etc.). I wanted to write this chapter since… I started Matt's piano. I love him.**

**In each chapter of this story, I will feature one character talking to Matt in the bar. If you have any characters that you want to be featured, tell me in the comments. Remember, it can't be L or Watari because, sadly, they are dead at this point.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemons, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking + plenty of sad stories.**

**Written to: "News From The Front" by Bad Religion**

**KINDLY review! **

* * *

_The Business Men Slowly Get Stoned_

_Matt POV_

A tall, black-haired man in an official-looking business suit stumbles over to the chair next to my piano, giggling all the way. On further inspection, I notice that his hair is messy and his eyes are blood-shot. He looks at me and smiles a large terrifying smile at me for a moment, then looks very sad. "Have you ever lost faith in all you believe in?" A strangely lucid sentence for someone who is so obviously stoned. "Have you ever lost faith in yourself?"

I shoot him a sad, understanding grin. "More times than I can count." That frightening grin returns, and he giggles again, a deep, horrific chuckles bringing shivers to my very soul. "That's soooooooo saaaad!" He cocks his head to the side and laughs once more. "I know God, so I've NEVER felt like thaaaaaat."

I glare at him for a moment, and then decide he isn't worth the trouble. I look away from him and begin to play.

XOXOXOXOXO

_Damn. This is my fault, I am entirely sure of it, but why does Mello have to be so cruel. "Mello… Please, I'm sorry, let me in." I call through the door, and wait anxiously for his reply._

"_No."_

_Damn. "Mello, the teacher told me to bring Pablo his homework since he was sick. You know I didn't choose to go visit him, I would never do that to you. Let me in?"_

"_No."_

"_Mello, you know I love you and only you. I would never sacrifice our relationship for... __**Pablo**__ of all people."_

"_I don't care. That man-bitch has made me suffer enough, and so have you. You're staying out there until I feel like letting you in."_

_Damn. The worst part is that Mello is right. Pablo had almost destroyed us, and I was just as much to blame. I can tell he is really upset about this."Mello… please just let me in. Don't you understand, I would never do that to you? Not again."_

"_And don't you understand why I can't let you in? I know he still has feelings for you, ok! He told me so! He told me he would ask the teacher to make you keep bringing you his papers until he gets better, which won't be for a while now, so that you would be alone, in his room with him, everyday. He said he was going to steal you away from me and… Matt, what if I can't stop it?"_

_I sit outside, silent for awhile. I had no idea this was going on. Mello… he must be going crazy with worry. I know I would never do that to him, but he's so fragile, I know he feels like he can't be sure. I had to prove to him that he was my number one. I looked around, making sure no one could hear me but Mello._

"_Mail"_

"_What?"_

"_Mail. That's my real name. Mail."_

_The door opens and Mello stands over me. I stand up and walk in, and then he shuts the door behind me. He sits down on the floor; I take a seat across from him. A minute passes in silence. "Miheal. That's my real name. Miheal."_

"_Miheal…" I kiss him passionately, catching him completely off guard. "Miheal."_

"_Mail."_

_XOXOXOXO_

_Matt and Mello's Sexy Fun Time Adventure Journal (Named by Matt) _

_Attempt #2:_

_I was practically crawling down the hallway this day. I had been hit hard with something (a cold or the flu, not an actual object) right after lunch, and had been in a fog the rest of the day. I was sneezing, my nose was dripping like a leaky faucet, and I had a headache the felt like someone had just repeatedly smacked me with a text book. My eyes felt puffy and I ached all over. Suffice it to say, I was pretty eager to just lie down and sleep when I got back to my room._

_I opened the door to an un-lit room. On any other day, I would have wondered where Mello was and turned on the light. But today I was as sick as a dog, so I just walked over to my bed and passed out._

_I wasn't conscious to see this, but Mello told me about it the next day. Apparently, he had planned to surprise me with sex (__**AN: SURPRISE BUTTSEX!)**__, but when he saw that I had just came in and fallen asleep, Mello, dressed in a tiny maid costume that he had gotten from god-knows-where, walked across the room and away from the corner he was standing posed in, turned on the lights, poked me in the stomach a couple times, tickled my face a couple times with the feather duster he had been holding, decided I was too sick, changed, did his homework, and went to sleep._

_XOXOXOXOXO_

"Wow!" the guy sitting in the chair next to me, whom I had forgotten about, said in a way the only someone who is both high and drunk can. "You're reeeeeaally good! You should be famous or something!"

"Maybe," I reply, "someday. But for now I'm here, searching for the one who got away. I'm just the piano man at this bar, and I will be until I find him."

I watched the man stumbled off as he had came. At this point I was beginning to wonder if I ever really would find Mello.

* * *

**AN: I desperately need your help. I had found this fic that I loved, and I cannot for the life of me remember what it is called. It's one of those fics where Light forgets that he's Kira after the Higuchi case, or maybe he doesn't, I don't remember, but he goes to England and does detective things with L. I think he takes on the name Tsuki. It is not "Light Follows After", although I like that one too and the plot line is similar, I know that the one I'm thinking of is different.**


	5. Never Had Time for a Wife

**AN: Yay! Update! I'm going to try to update every Monday, if I can (yes, I understand today is tuesday. This chapter is dedicated LeahKeehl13. She was one of the first five people to review chapters nine and ten of DLMDY. Well… I actually had no idea who to write this chapter about. I thought maybe I'd do a minor character, and because we know absolutely nothing about Moji, he was chosen. **

**In each chapter of this story, I will feature one character talking to Matt in the bar. If you have any characters that you want to be featured, tell me in the comments. Remember, it can't be L or Watari because, sadly, they are dead at this point.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemons, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking + plenty of sad stories.**

**Written to: "Apres Moi" by Regina Spektor (I can totally imagine Matt playing/singing this!)**

**KINDLY review!**

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_Never Had Time for a Wife_

_Matt POV_

It's pretty late, and the late night crowd is shuffling in. Which isn't too many people, considering it's 2 in the morning. I stare exhaustedly off into the distance, and vacantly wonder why they're letting a gorilla in. As the primate makes its way towards me, I can see that it is not a gorilla, but a very large man. He sits down on the chair in front of me, which now looks tiny in comparison.

He looks down at me and asks, "Do you believe in love?" A question one wouldn't expect to hear from such a gargantuan man, but I answer him all the same. "Yes. Yes I do," I responding, shooting him a tried smile. "Hmm… What's that like?"

"What do you mean?"

"Most of the guys on the police force have already settled down or are so young that they don't need to worry about such a thing. But I'm... I'm getting older, and as much as I enjoy the work I do, I've been wondering if I should have settled down by now too. I've just never had time for a wife or kids, and now I feel like I might be too late."

"I… I'm sure out there… for you… there must be someone."

"You're still so young… I wouldn't expect you to understand."

I feel no need to say anything further at this point, just bow my head and begin to play, my fingers caressing the familiar notes on well worn keys.

* * *

"_BITCH!"_

_Suddenly the pretty black-haired girl standing in front of me went shooting backwards and downwards, revealing a very angry Mello, one hand wrapped around her long pony-tail. "Would you please tell me why the hell you're asking MY BOYFRIEND out on a date?"_

"_I-I-I," the girl stuttered, obviously in pain._

"_That's what I thought bitch! Now does any other girl around here think that she would like to try and steal my Mattie from me?" He looked around the crowed hallway and at many students staring at him in horror. "Anyone? Didn't think so!" He turned back to the girl whose hair was still firmly in his grasp. "Apologize bitch!" She was on her knees, tears streaming down her face from the pain. She barely choked out an "I'm sorry"._

_I heard it. Mello, however, did not. _

"_I SAID, apologize!" Before the poor girl could say anything, I grabbed Mello by the collar of his shirt and kiss him feverously. He took his attention off the girl and dropped her locks before she scurried away. I continued kissing him, in the middle of the hallway, not caring who saw. Then I slapped him across the face, something only I was allowed to do. "Shut the hell up. I thought I told you, I would never leave you." I kissed him again, softer this time._

"_Not after all I went through to make you mine."_

* * *

_Matt and Mello's Sexy Fun Time Adventure Journal_

_Attempt #3_

_This was, by far, our worst attempt. An utter failure. A complete debacle._

_I was lying on my back playing video games when suddenly the door flew open. Mello burst into the room, and yelled "MATT!"_

_I paused my game and hopped to attention like a soldier in the army. "MELLO!" I shouted in reaction because he had caught me off guard._

_Mello looked me up and down. "Take you pants off," He commanded._

"_What?"_

"_Take your pants off."_

"_Why?"_

"_Well it SHOULD be obvious. You're going to sleep with me."_

"_What?"_

"_I AM GOING TO FUCK YOU!" He shouted clearly exasperated with me._

"_Oh. Ok" I hastened to undo my belt, and pulled my jeans off, throwing them in a corner._

_Suddenly we heard a whistled from behind us (or behind Mello, at least). A girl shouted, "Put your pants back on, homo!"_

_Mello had forgotten to shut the door._

* * *

The last, sad note echoed in the silence that now filled the bar. Almost everyone had left, but the gorilla man still sat next to me, gaze transfixed on my face as I looked down at the keys.

"Amazing," He uttered, softly. "You play with such a passion. But your music sounds sad and full of regret."

I stop the song I have begun to play and look up at him. "It's because I have lost the one I love. But when I find him, my music will once again be full of life. Until then, I'm here. Playing piano in a bar.

"I hope you do. I hope you find him." These were his parting words as he stood and made his way out the door.

"I hope so too."

**AN: Awwww… I still haven't gotten any suggestions as to characters I should use in this story. I need your help people! I picked some random character no one knows anything about, and had practically no ideas for this chapter! Well, anyway… reviews make the sun shine and the birds sing. Please review, it makes me happy. And RhetoricalJeevas, congrats on winning the one-shot. I haven't forgotten about you, I promise, your story is coming.**


	6. He Still Is

**AN: I have been terrible about updating when I say I'm going to update. Sorry about that. It's partially due to the fact that I thought my computer had died a swift and painful death, but then about the days later I found out that it was only in a coma. Fortunately it doesn't look like it suffered any brain damage, so it still had all its memories. My other reason for not updating is that I'm dealing with finals at the moment, which are excruciatingly painful. Well, this chapter is Matsuda. I'm sure that's really his age (down there, in my story), but it fits my purposes, so deal with it. That being said, if you want to listen to the song he's singing, look about three paragraphs down from right here. Also, I feel like we've been seeing a lot of Jealous Mello lately, so for your entertainment, here's some Jealous Matt. Mello might be slightly OOC, but…I like him like this.**

**In each chapter of this story, I will feature one character talking to Matt in the bar. If you have any characters that you want to be featured, tell me in the comments. Remember, it can't be L or Watari because, sadly, they are dead at this point.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemons, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking + plenty of sad stories.**

**Written to: "Skinny Love" by Birdy…This is such a beautiful song; I honestly recommend listening to it while reading this chapter… In fact, I'll give you a YouTube link: **

**youtube****.com/watch?v=aNzCDt2eidg**

**Or, if you prefer the Bon Iver version (The version Matsuda sings is a combo of the two, I guess)**

**/watch?v=SO6KlHHJoec&NR=1 (put you tube. com (no spaces, obviously) before that... ffnet is being a spazz and won't let me do it myself)**

**KINDLY review!**

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_He Still Is_

_Matt POV_

Loud, annoying laughter precedes a series of goodbyes as the time approaches midnight and many of the young people are starting to head out. I see that the source of the laughter is headed my way while waving goodbye to his friends. He is a young looking guy, probably still in his early twenties, with messy black hair that hung in his eyes and a goofy smile forever plastered on his face. I recognized him as the birthday boy of the party that had cleared out just a moment ago.

"So, ahhh…" He began, taking a seat next my piano. "This is embarrassing, but, ahhh, I have this friend an—".

I cut him off. "And he told you that you ought to come to me with your troubles. No need to be embarrassed, I get this a lot. What seems to be the problem?"

He grinned sheepishly and looked at me. "Well… I'm 30 years old now. 30. By 30, I thought… I thought I'd be married, I thought I'd be… out of the police force, doing what I really want to do: sing."

"Sing?" I asked.

"Yes. I know it sounds clique, but… In 8th grade my teacher entered me in various singing competitions because she thought she had discovered something great, and ever since then, well… it's been my dream to make it big."

I smiled at him. "What's your name?"

"Matsuda."

"Well, Matsuda, I'm not quite sure what I can tell you that you haven't already heard, but how 'bout this: As a birthday present to you, I'll play a song you know and you can show your talent to all these people." I gestured towards the fairly decent crowd still remaining in the bar.

"Really? Wow! OK, umm…" He whispered something in my ear, and I nodded and began to play. His voice came out smooth and energetic. I closed my eyes while she sang and I played.

"Come on skinny love, just last a year. Pour a little salt we were never here. My my my…"

* * *

_That day was a fairly good day for me. It was my birthday. I got a new video game as a present from Linda. I was expecting a special present later on from Mello. I had barely any homework, and as I strolled back to my room I felt that __all things would be pleasant._

_That was, until I saw that bitch Pablo trying to mouth rape my Mello right outside our room. That put quite a damper on things. But of course, I only grinned, because I had been waiting for the chance to kill someone for weeks. Looks like I found my victim._

"_HI PABLO!"I screeched, trying to sound cool and intimidating, but probably just sounding like a serial killer."WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAYBE GET OFF MY BOYFRIEND PLEASE? THAT WOULD BE FUCKING FANTASTIC!" Pablo stared at me wide-eyed for a moment, and then ran for dear life. I looked at Mello for a moment, and he could tell that I was most certainly not amused. "That was all him, I swear! I was j-just tr-trying to g-g-g-get into ou-our r-r-room," he stammered, nervous and sweating – for what seemed like the first time— under my angry glare. _

"_What, so it's not ok for me to bring him his homework when he's sick, but you make out with him and I should just forgive you? No, not a chance in hell!" I pushed him away, entered our room, and slammed the door, locking it behind me. _

"_Matt. Come on… I forgave you last time."_

"_This is soooooo different."_

"_But Matt… I promise, it wasn't consensual. _

"_I don't give a fuck. You two were kissing, that's all that matters."_

"_Oh hell…" I heard footsteps in the hallway, the sound getting farther and farther from the door. For a moment it was silent. Then a scream echoed up and down the halls. Now there were footsteps approaching, as well as the sound of someone repeating, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, oooowwwww." I opened the door to see Mello standing there with a firm grip on Pablo's ear. Said moron was hunched over in pain, nursing what was soon to be a black eye (the pain of which I knew all too well) while pleading with Mello for mercy which would not be delivered. "Pablo, please apologize to my beloved boyfriend for all the pain you have put him through," Mello demanded of Pablo with a feral look in his eyes. I noticed off-handedly that his voice had the same calm, yet terrifying tone the likes of which I had been trying earlier to achieve. "Right now, if you could" he continued, urging Pablo to speed up the process. _

_Pablo looked up at me, meeting my gaze with his good eye. "I am so very sorry Matthew. I promise never to do such a thing ever again. I respect your beautiful relationship with Mello and will refrain from any further meddling." The whole speech sounded almost rehearsed, but the amount of fear in Pablo's voice seemed to please Mello greatly. "Good. Now leave before I kick your ass again." Pablo ran off for the second time that day. Mello then turned his attention to me. "Forgive me?" he asked._

_I looked at Mello, remaining stoic for a moment. Then I grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him. "How can I possibly stay mad at you after that, you crazy bastard?" And, of course, there was only one response to such a question._

"_Hey! That hurts! I'll have you know my mother was married to my father when she had me!"_

* * *

"_FUCK THAT SHEEP! FUCK HIM WITH SOMETHING HARD AND SANDPAPERY!"_

_I sighed. I guess it really was that time of year again. The time of year when the test results came out and Mello came in second, yet again. A few kids were still recovering from Mello's rage over last year's results. I think one girl had to be put into therapy for post-traumatic-stress-disorder. I held my breath, bracing myself for this year's reaction. _

_The door opened slowly. The usually fiery blonde trudged in, head hanging low. Normally he would be shouting in rage right about now, but instead he was uncharacteristically quiet. He flopped down on his bed, closed his eyes, and sighed._

"_Mels? You okay?" I asked, after a moment passed in booming silence. He didn't answer, only turned on to his side so that his back was to me. "Mels?" _

_Finally, he spoke, his voice full of pain and defeat. "Why do I even try anymore? It's so… useless; he's always going to beat me. I never really stood a chance" He sighed once more, and my heart shattered. The flame, it seemed, had died._

"_Oh Mello. Don't say that, please. You have more passion and dedication in your pinkie finger than Near will have in his whole body. L can see that, and it matters, it really does."_

"_Does it? If it matters, then why am I still second? Why does he beat me, time after time, even though I put so much more effort, so much," he began to tear up, his voice breaking, "so much more heart into this competition than he does? Why does he get first place, even though he's done absolutely nothing to deserve it?"_

"_Because, Mello. He was born the way he was. Empty, mathematical, incapable of feeling, always calculating, always analyzing, and maybe that helps him score higher on some stupid test, but Mello, you have something he will never have. You have passion. You have so much passion, so much fire in you, and you work so hard. And in that way you are so much better than him, because you are so much more __real__ than he is. He's like a machine, which might make him better at solving certain logical problems. But Mello, you know __people__. You understand how real people think because you are a real person, and I think that understanding people and how they think is what being a detective and solving crimes is all about. Maybe Near is doing better on the tests, but when the time comes where L has to make his decision, my money is on you."_

"_Matt…" Mello croaked. He turned to face me, and I could see the tears in his eyes. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said about me."_

"_I meant every word of it."_

"_Matt… I love you so much. Don't ever leave me. I don't know what I would do without you. Please, God, don't ever leave me,"_

_I stood up and climbed into his bed. I kissed his forehead gently. "Only if you promise never to leave me, either."_

"_Deal," he said. _

_And I believed him._

* * *

"…My my my, my my my, my my," Matsuda finished his song. The people left in the bar cheered, and those who were not too drunk to get up gave him a standing ovation.

"That was incredible, man," I said to him. "Come back and jam with me whenever you get the chance."

"Thanks. I'll be sure to come by as much as possible. You were great, too. How come someone so talented is stuck playing in some obscure bar?"

"Well… The short answer is that it's a side job, something to help me make money while do what I came to Japan for: search for the one that got away. I don't really want to make it big, anyway. Once I find who I'm looking for, I want to be with him all the time, to make up for the all those years we spent apart. But until I find him, I'm the piano man, here at this bar."

Matsuda smiled at me. "Hey, I hope you find him. Don't ever give up, because if you came to a whole new country for him then he must really be something."

"Yeah. He really is." He really is.

**AN: I'M SO SORRY THIS IS SOOOOOO LATE. I'll try to update more often, but I'm kind of writers blocked, and this took forever to write. If you have any suggestions, any ideas at all, please don't hesitate to share them. Honestly, any ideas are welcome at this point. I think I want to put L in a flashback at some point, possibly in the nest chapter. The problem is, I'm absolutely terrified to try and put him in anything I write, mainly because his personality is so unique and specific that I'm scared I won't be able to do it justice. I don't know tell me what you think.**


	7. In the Mood for a Melody

**AN: Yes, I know this chapter is disappointingly short. There wasn't much I could really do with it. The last chapter got almost zero response…I don't know if that means that it sucked, or if everyone was just on vacation, but I do know it has to be one of the two, obviously XD. So anyway… I kind of didn't want to do this chapter because… Idk, I guess I just love focusing on Matt. However, a friend of mine who reads this story was like, "MELLO, MELLO! NOW, NOW!" and I was like, "FIIIIIINE!" So, thanks to her, here's a little Mello for you. You better appreciate him in all his leather-clad glory (By the way, I'm not having Matt find Mello in this chapter, it's just a chapter from his POV. Sorry if I got anyone's hopes up and then crushed them in one swift blow). Sorry if he seems OOC, you took the risk by reading FANfiction of any sort :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemons, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking + plenty of sad stories.**

**Written to: Mein Gott (A song that can put me in a pleasant mood, no matter what. Prussia FTW ! ), and "Blue As Your Eyes" by Scouting For Girls**

**KINDLY review!**

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_In The Mood For A Melody_

_Mello POV_

Three years. It's been three years since I've seen him. Three years since I've held him, three years since I've felt the warmth of his kiss.

And every time I hear that song, I just lose it.

"_Come out Virginia, don't let me wait  
You Catholic girls start much too late  
But sooner or later it comes down to fate  
I might as well be the one…"_

One of my men played that song very loudly in his room the other day. Fortunately, I put a stop to it before I started bawling, and since then I've made it very clear that Billy Joel is never to be played in our compound again, under any circumstances, or they will be shot. I run a tough ship, it's the way things work.

None of them know why. I haven't gotten close enough to any of my men to tell them my story. Not that I would, anyway. The part of me that shared my feelings with anyone died a long time ago.

Three years ago.

Not a day goes by where I don't miss my Mattie, but I don't regret leaving. I'll beat Near. I'll prove Matt right. I'll prove that damn Roger wrong and I'll show everyone who the real number one is.

But god damn it, I miss Matt. I miss his goofy smile, his flame-red hair, and his beautiful green eyes. I miss the way he always knew just what to say to make me feel alright, and I miss the way he loved me. I know it took us a while to get it together, and even when we finally did, there were so many obstacles facing us every step of the way. But I loved Matt, with all my heart, more than I have ever loved anyone else, even though I have never loved someone before him. More than I will ever love anyone ever again, even though I won't ever love someone after him. He is the only person who will ever have a place in my heart.

I know it's foolish, but I hope that he forgives me for leaving him, even though I promised time and time again that I would never abandon him. I hope that he forgives me, even though he has no reason to. I left him, plain and simple. He should hate me; he has every reason to hate me. I lied to him every time I promised him I'd always be there. And yet… and yet I pray that he found it in his heart to forgive me. I hope he's looking for me. I want him to find me. I want **him**.

I've been looking for him on my own. I don't want to involve my mafia in the search. That could only lead to bad things, and they have… other… things to do anyway. So I look for him by myself, but even with all my resources I keep coming up dry. It's a big world, and I can't expect him to be in here Los Angles, or in California, or even in the United States. The only thing I know about his location is that he's no longer in England. He could be living in Australia herding kangaroos for all I know.

I just want to see him again. I want to tell him that I love him, still, and that I never wanted to leave **him**, but I needed to leave Wammy's. It wasn't his fault, although I'm sure he's smart enough to realize that. I just want to apologize to him, and then I can die happy, but likely young, man.

A "ping" sounded from my laptop, drawing me out of my thoughts. I opened the computer to find a message on my screen, telling me I had a video call from "N". I had contacted him a few days earlier about getting some pictures of me back, but the call then was perfectly sufficient, I didn't think there was any need for follow up. I clicked on "accept call" and the gothic N appeared on my screen.

"Mello," said the computerized voice, void of emotion, "I have some news I think you might enjoy."

* * *

**AN: So there you go. A short-ass, not-so-great chapter ending in an unexpected cliffie (seriously, it just happened… I wasn't planning on it at all). Sorry about that, I'll try to make up for it in the next chapter, which I am going to make as long as humanly possible if I want to wrap everything up in a nice little bow in only two more chapters and a possible epilogue. Yup, this story is almost done, and then it's on to part three of this whole saga. Can't wait!**


	8. Light Up Your Smoke

**WARNING: TO BE SAFE, THE RATING OF THIS STORY HAS BEEN CHANGED TO M. I DON'T THINK THIS CHAPTER IS DISTURBING OR "TOO MATURE", BUT I'M SUPER PARANOID.**

**AN: I decided you guys deserved a fairly quick update, considering how long it usually takes me to update, coupled with the massive cliff-hanger last chapter. I wrote this whole thing last night since I couldn't sleep, probably due to the fact that I've been drinking around four cups of coffee a day to stay alert for finals and studying… it's probably not healthy. We're back with Matt now, but don't worry, you will find out in this chapter what Near's news is.**

**As for the.. erm… "intimate" scene with the Matt and Mello. I'm not going to describe them having sex, but I will describe the moment leading up to the… event. And I'm throwing in UkeMatt because I effing love UkeMatt… deal with it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemons, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking + plenty of sad stories.**

**Written to: "Bruises" by Chairlift**

**KINDLY review!**

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_Light Up Your Smoke_

_Matt POV_

Silence echoes through the bar. John absent mindedly plays with his lighter while Misa rests her head on the counter. I haven't seen the bar this deserted since… Actually, I can't remember the place ever being so empty. I sip my bear and fiddle with the keys for a while before John says, "Play us something, Matty boy."

I glance up at him and think for a moment, then decide on my song, one I know by heart. I look down at the keys and start to play.

"_Slow down you crazy child. You're so ambitious for a juvenile."_

* * *

_I stirred as I heard the door creak open. I assumed it must be Mello returning from his meeting with Near and Rodger. Mello slunk in quietly, trying not to wake me. I sat up in bed to let him know that I was already awake. "Mello? How'd your meeting with Rodger go? What did he need to tell you?" Mello turned to look at me, and I could see the defeat in his eyes. "Mello?"_

"_Matt," he said solemnly, climbing onto my bed. He sat Indian-style, facing me, and sighed. "I love you, so, so much?"_

"_Was that in danger of changing soon? But I love you too, Mello. Now what happened in the meeting?"_

_He did not answer my question, only uncrossed his legs and climbed up on top of me, pinning my hands to the bed with his own and forcing me to lean against the backboard of the bed. He kissed me with more passion and force than ever before, as if he was desperately trying to take as much of me for himself as possible, he tongue demanding entrance almost immediately. He gently grazed my bottom lip with his teeth, pushing his own body closer to mine with each passing moment, until there was almost no space left between us at all. He broke away for a moment, his tongue sliding against my lips as he drew back. He stared at me for a moment. "Matt. I think, now. Now is the time."_

_I gave him a surprised look. "You mean?"_

"_I want to sleep with you tonight Matt. The time seems right, the mood seems right. We don't need any special preparations, Matt. We only need each other." I could only nod my head yes in response, but that seemed to say everything. While he was talking he slipped under the blankets with me, nothing separating us now but our clothes. He resumed his passionate, desperate kissing. I should have sensed that something was wrong, but I was too drunk on Mello's love. He pulled my shirt off and his hands began to explore my body, his cold skin making me quiver as his fingertips skimmed along my now exposed torso, inching ever so slowly towards the zipper of my pants. I stopped him, taking my turn to remove his shirt. I ran my hands along his toned body, momentarily taken aback by his physical fitness in comparison to my scrawny frame. He seemed to sense what was going through my mind, and began placing delicate kisses down my bare skin, as if to say "I think you're perfect the way you are". He unzipped my pants, sliding them slowly down my legs and finally discarding them in the far corner of the room. In turn, I undid his pants, much more hasty in my actions, haphazardly tossing them aside, along with his boxers and my own. I pulled away from him momentarily, gasping for breath and mentally preparing myself for what was about to happen. He kissed my neck and then whispered softy, his breath hot on my ear, "Matt. I love you."_

"_I love you too, Mello. Now and forever." He only kissed me again in response, with more love behind his lips than ever before, and that was enough of a reply._

* * *

_I awoke the next morning in the same way I had the night before: to the sound of the door creaking open. I opened my eyes to see Mello attempting to sneak out, a bag slung over his shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?" I asked him, beckoning for him to come back to bed, hold me in his arms a little while longer._

"_Go back to sleep Matt," he replied, his voice void of all the love it held the previous night._

"_Mello?" I climbed out of bed, concerned now. "What's going on?"_

"_Matt. L is dead. Near is still number one. I'm leaving Wammy's, I'm going to go catch Kira by myself, and beat that sheep once and for all."_

"_L is… dead?" I felt my world slowly fall off its axis. L is dead. "__So that's what last night was all about?" He nodded, looking shameful, drowning in guilt. "Well then I'm coming with you," I said, searching for my clothes on the floor._

"_No," he deadpanned, his face showing that he was gravely serious._

"_Well why the hell not?"_

"_It's too dangerous for you!"_

"_What are you talking about? I can handle the real world." I grabbed his arm, determined to show Mello that I would follow him into anything. He pulled away and tried to run, but I blocked his path and shut the door, positioning myself in front of it."Take me with you, or don't go at all."_

"_There's nothing left for me here."_

_Tears filled my eyes at his words. "I'm here," I whispered, the hurt showing in my voice._

"_And you should stay here. You deserve a home."_

"_You are my home Mello. You're the only home I will ever have, because my heart lies with you."_

"_You survived without me before. You can do it again."_

"_I don't want to."_

_"You don't have a choice. I love you, and that's why you can't come with me."_

_"That just doesn't make any sense!"_

_Mello looked down at the ground and sighed. He lifted his head again, but refused to look at me. _"_Look, I need to catch Kira, and I'm willing to do so by any means necessary. If that means getting mixed up in some shady business, I don't mind. But I wouldn't want you to get involved. Then it would be my fault if anything happened to you."_

"_I'm willing to risk my life you come with you. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Look at me, dammit!"_

_He turned his head away._"_I would never forgive myself if you got hurt."_

_I looked at him with pain in my eyes. I tried to kiss him but he backed away. It took all my will power to stop the tears. "You have no idea how selfish that is. Fine. Go. I won't follow you."_

"_Matt, I—"_

"_You want to leave, right? There's nothing here for you?" The tears wanted to flow, and I couldn't hold them in much longer. "So go. Leave me! Leave me like you promised you never would!"_

_It was turn to reach out, to try and kiss me. I pushed him away, towards the door. "Too late. I'll always love you though."_

_He said nothing, only turned his back on me and left, the sound of the door closing the most deafeningly sorrowful sound I had ever heard._

_I slumped down against the door, burying my face in my hands, the tears now running freely down my checks. One thought resonated clearly in my mind. "He was going to leave without saying goodbye."_

* * *

_For the next week, I couldn't look at Near, or Rodger. It wasn't really their fault, I knew that, but I needed someone to blame. Eventually, though, life went on. It was a miserable existence without Mello, but an existence none the less._

_After about four months, I decided it was time to stop being such a sad sack. I pulled myself together, picked out a fake smile that I thought suited me, and began trying to live life again. I started hanging out with my old friends again. They knew I was hurting, and so they didn't pester me with questions about Mello like some of the other kids did. I got a lot of questions, about why he left, how he left, if I tried to go with him. Everyone wanted to know every little detail. I slapped on that fake smile, I told them kindly that I was asleep when he left, that I didn't know much about him leaving. Some of them probably saw right through the lie, maybe they had even heard us arguing, but no one said anything._

_And I lived life. I could never erase those two years I spent with Mello, but I could try to move on. I had friends, and I got the chance to focus more on school. I didn't try to regain my number one position. I didn't want it anyway. Except for in my small circle of friends, I pretty much blended into the background. I led a bland existence, but it was enough. There were a few girls who were overjoyed by the fact that I was single. I went out on a date with one girl, to try and get back on my feet, even though I was undeniably gay. It was awful, and so I remained stubbornly single for the rest of my time at Wammy's._

_And through it all, Mello was always there. In the bottom of my heart and the back of my mind, his presence lingered long after he was gone. He didn't constantly consume my thoughts, but he was forever with me._

_Then I turned 18. I left Wammy's. I knew for a fact that as soon as I left I would fly straight to Japan to start my search for Mello. Even though I spent a decent chunk of those final three years at Wammy's resenting him, it was always my intention to find him as soon as I could._

_And even though I hadn't touched a piano in three years, I got the job as soon as I applied at that bar. Piano's just my god-given gift, I guess. That, and hacking into computers._

_Much like L, I began to develop bags under my eyes due to a lack of sleep. Any time that I didn't spend working was dedicated to hacking the world, following any trail that might lead to Mello. I always came up dry. And then…_

* * *

"_And you know that when the truth is told, that you can get what you want or you can just get old. You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through. Why don't you realize...Vienna waits for you?" When will you realize...Vienna waits for you?"_

I looked up from the piano keys to come face to face with L. Only it wasn't L, it was a mask, a humorous yet equally creepy rendering of the face of the world's now deceased three greatest detectives. Only one person would wear such a mask. "Near?"

"Hello Matthew. I heard this establishment had a fantastic, red-headed pianist who wore odd clothing and hid his strikingly green eyes behind orange tinted goggles. While I don't usually partake in the consumption of alcoholic beverages, I felt inclined to investigate the possibility that said pianist might be you. It seems I was correct in my deduction. Hmm… Well, I ought to leave now. Goodbye Matthew."

I sat in shock for a minute before realizing I should ask him where Mello is. "Wait!" I called out. But he was already gone.

I lit a cigarette and leaned back in my chair. It's been a long year.

* * *

_Mello POV_

"Mello," said the computerized voice, void of emotion, "I have some news I think you might enjoy."

"Yeah? And what news might that be?"

Silence.

"Near, what news?"

"The whereabouts of a certain… redhead."

I said nothing, only blinked in disbelief. "Near. Tell me where he is. And if you play games with this, so help me god…"

"He has been looking for you."

"Where is he?"

"He is looking for you knowing that you are trying to solve the Kira case."

"Near, where the–." Then it all clicked. I knew where he was.

* * *

**AN: So… I guess this is also sort of a cliff hanger, but I'm sure you can all guess what happens. Who knows though, I might surprise you. This story is almost done though.**


	9. The Piano Man

**AN: There is no excuse. No excuse. Forgive me for I am sorry *bows head to angry readers*. Honestly though, the lack of reviews is deeply discouraging. Review dammit! *shot* Haha… erm… Well, but that's not why this is so late, although it's true I haven't been motivated to write anything, my missing determination has nothing to do with the **_**cough**_** UTTER LACK OF ANY RESPONSE EXCEPT FOR MAYBE ONE PERSON **_**cough. **_**I've been a little depressed lately (which once again is not related to reviews in any way… I don't want you to think I'm THAT desperate), but we won't get in to that.**

**Any who, nothing brings joy to the soul like writing a little bit of Matt and Mello romance, eh?**

**I enjoy writing from Mello's point of view… he's fun ;)**

**I've started to think though, that no one reads these author's notes anyway. If you read the whole thing, review and put this in your message: A purple platypus pilfered Peter's Popsicle. If you read the whole thing, I'll reward you in some way (dedication, a one-shot… I'll think of something)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemon, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking + plenty of sad stories.**

**Written to: "Change My Needs" by Scars on 45 (I saw them in concert at Red Rocks a couple nights ago… they were amazing!)**

**KINDLY review!**

* * *

_The Piano Man_

_Mello POV_

At long last, I've found him. On my own, I realized Matt was in Japan. Of course, I needed Near's information for me to learn that Matt was playing piano in some western-style bar in the Kanto region, and where exactly this bar was, but other than that I pretty much found him all by myself, without even needing any help from the sheep. Now all that was left to do was go to Japan and…

…And what? March into that bar and say, "Hey Matt, it's me, Mello! Yeah sorry about the whole leaving you behind and breaking your heart thing, but here I am again, reappearing after making wonder and worry about me for three years. No hard feelings right? We can just pick up right where we left off?"

Something tells me that wouldn't go over very well.

Should I even go looking for him? What if he doesn't want to see me? I wouldn't blame him, I can barely stand to look at myself, and after all the pain I caused maybe he just wants to forget me and heal his wounds. Or… maybe the one possibility I've never wanted to consider came true. What if he found somebody new? How could I go on knowing the one person I'll ever love could fall for someone else? It was his right to move on, but still… No, I'm being silly. Near said Matt has been looking for me, he wants to see me, and I... I have to see him. Even if he has moved on, even if he can never forgive me, I need to see him again. I need to tell him how damn sorry I am for leaving him like that.

* * *

_Matt POV_

"Hey Mattie-cake?" I look up at Misa, raising an eyebrow at yet another of her many odd pet names for me. "Tell me about this guy you've been looking for. What's he like?"

I smile and sigh softly, remembering. "Well, he's got this shoulder length blonde hair that he's very proud of, and he's boney but yet oddly toned. He's… kind of a firecracker. In fact, during the first week I met, he gave me two black eyes!" I chuckle fondly, surprised momentarily at how deep and almost… manly my laugh sounds for a second. _I'm not 13 anymore. _"And when he has his sights set on something, he'll get furiously determined and dead set on being the very best, like no one ever waaaas~." I stop before breaking into the whole Pokémon theme song, and continue, ignoring Misa's confused glance. "He's the most wildly passionate person I've ever met, and he's horribly dramatic, too. He's deeply sincere, he always laughs with gusto, means it when he smiles, and says 'I love you' from the bottom of his heart."

Misa looks dreamily off into the distance, perhaps wishing for a true love of her own. "He sounds like I great guy. Where'd he go? That is, if you don't mind me asking."

I shake my head. "No, I don't mind at all." I look down at the floor, this is the painful part. "You know how I said that he'd get furiously determined to reach his goals? Well, he was in a competition of sorts with the other guy, and he lost, sort of. He didn't handle that failure very well, and he saw an opportunity to redeem himself by completing the work of the man who had been out mentor of sorts before this other guy completed it. He believed that he wouldn't be able to accomplish this goal in the place we lived then, so one day he just took off. He was going to just leave me without even saying goodbye, but I woke up as he was trying to sneak out. We got into a huge fight, and then he left, and that was the last I ever saw of him." I look up at her, trying to be strong and not cry at the memory of the things we said.

A loud group of college students walks in, and I'm on duty again. Misa stands up and gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before walking away, and I turn my full attention to my piano. I shout over my shoulder "Any requests?" The answer I got was not anything I was expecting, and a particularly painful song for me, but it's all part of my work, so I begin to play.

"Come out Virginia, don't let me wait. You Catholic girls start much too late, but sooner or later it comes down to fate, I might as well be the one."

I close my eyes to stop the tears, remembering the blissful, ignorant final moments Mello and I shared before everything went wrong. Before Roger came in and stopped the music. Before Mello was taken into the meeting that changed our lives.

"Well, they showed you a statue, told you to pray. They built you a temple and locked you away, but they never told you the price that you pay, for things that you might have done…" A hand touches me on my shoulder. _I know this touch._

"Only the good die young," a sweet, low voice sings from behind me. _I know this voice_. I turn around to come face to face with… "Hey, Matt! It's been too long."

I stand, silently, and hit the man so hard he falls to the floor. "Mello," I begin shakily, "What are you—how did you—why are you here?" He looks up at me in shock. "Matt, I—I thought… I needed to see you again. Near told me where you were. He said you'd been looking for me. Are you… angry?"

I roll my eyes and scoff at his question. "Am I angry? You slept with me, and then I woke up to the sight of you trying to slip out the door. You acted like I meant nothing to you, and then you left—" I am choking back tears by this point, my face contorting with sadness and Mello's face looking pathetic, staring up at me from the floor, "You left me to piece my heart back together on my own, expected me to heal after you threw away everything we worked for, after you broke all those promises. And the worst part, Mello, the absolute worst part, was that you never planned to say goodbye! Hell, you weren't even going to leave a goddamned note! If I hadn't woken up when I did, I wouldn't have had any idea where you went. I probably would have never seen you again! So of course I'm fucking angry!" I kneel down and grab him by the neckline of his leather vest. He flinches, but stares straight into my eyes, obviously bracing himself for another smack. Instead, I pull him into a deep kiss, and he returns it, the two of us pressing as close to each other as possible, taking in as much of the other as we can, as if to make up for the years we've spent apart. "But," I say after breaking away, tears now brimming in both my eyes and his, "I also missed you so, so much. And I love you so, so much. And I don't think I can bear to spend another moment away from you. That's why… I forgive you. But only if, this time, you let me come with you. If, this time, you agree to let me follow you into anything."

Mello looks up at his tears beginning to fall like shimmering crystals down his soft, pale cheeks. He nods, and grabs onto as if I am his life line. He chokes out, "I never want to lose again. I thought, maybe, you had found someone else. I can't live without you anymore, it feels to empty." I look down at him and wipe his tears. "Stupid. Who could ever replace you?" I stand and help him to his feet. He turns to leave and holds his hand out to me. "Coming?" he asks. I hold up one finger as a sign for him to wait, and then turn and run to Misa, embracing her tightly. "Good luck with everything, Misa. I'll miss you." She pulls away gently, pats me on the head and smiles. "I'll miss you too, Mattie-pattie. Now go, be with him. You deserve this." I smile and look at the bar I'm leaving, one last time.

_I found him. Finally._

* * *

**AN: OMG FINAL CHAPTER! Hope that was a satisfying ending, if not, we've an epilogue still, haven't we? Plus, part three in this saga. Yay! Part three is going to be REALLY ANGSTY. TEENAGE ANGST, RUN FROM IT! Anywho, I was reading over the last chapter, and I absolutely despise the part where Matt says "Be gentle," to Mello. Gahh, what was I thinking. It's SO CLICHE. But for some unexplainable reason, I don't want to get rid of it. I hate it, but I don't want to delete it. Why?**

**Also, I'm not sure… would Misa recognize Mello? What would happen if she saw Near (shinigami eyes, you know)? I've just decided to ignore these gaping plot holes for now, unless they become a serious issue. How professional of me. Eh, screw it. **

**Love you all and the epilogue is coming soon as well as the (REALLY, REALLY LATE) one-shot I promised to RhetoricalJeevas (sorry). **

**Review please ^J^**


	10. Sing Us A Song

**PLEASE READ THIS… OR SUFFER THE TERRIBLE CONSEQENCE THAT IS INCONSISTENCY**_**:**_So, sometimes I amaze myself with my utter bimboness. I am, so, so, so sorry! I just realized that I already had Matt sing Piano Man back in chapter 8, but then in this chapter he is quite hesitant to sing it. Yeah… I tend to over look important details. Well, I was already unhappy with chapter 8, so I rewrote it (but it's almost exactly the same). Go back and read the new and improved version. You guys are amazing.

**AN: Mirus Infidus you are AWESOME! I hope you know that. You actually read my whole author's note. Dude, how cool is that? You deserve a one-shot. And so a one-shot you will get. PM me for your reward. **

**OH MY EFFING GODNESS! EPILOGUE FREAKING TIME! It feels like just yesterday that I began this story, and now it's over. I really enjoyed writing this one and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. You have no idea how much I appreciate all the story/author alerts and reviews. Don't tell the others, but you guys are my favorites. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the amazing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (If you do not like either of these things, I now ask you to imagine me glaring at you and telling you none too politely to GET OUT!)**

**Warnings: Yaoi (but no lemon, I wouldn't be able to write that), swearing, and underage drinking + plenty of sad stories.**

**Written to: Various songs by Marianas Trench. Please go check them out. Great band, talented guys. They deserve more recognition. **

**KINDLY review!**

* * *

_Sing Us A Song (EPILOGUE)_

_Mello POV_

A tired looking but smiling man standing behind the bar stops Matt and I before we make it to the door. "Hey Matt," he calls out, "one more song, for old time sake?" Matt smiles at the man and with gleaming eyes turns to me. "Alright John. Mels, got any suggestions?" I grin at him and whisper something in his ear. He gives me an odd look. "Doesn't that seem a little on the nose in this situation?" I gesture to the piano. "Just play it!" He laughs at me. "OK…"

I closed my eyes as he began to play, the piano lively and sweet.

_It's nine o'clock on a Saturday  
The regular crowd shuffles in  
There's an old man sitting next to me  
Makin' love to his tonic and gin._

* * *

_"Roger? What are you doing here?" He smiles, a sad, empty smile, looking down into his glass.  
"It was our song, Quillish and I. I don't quite remember the name, but it was sad and sweet, and I could hum all of it for you."_

* * *

His voice is much deeper than the last time I heard it, and holds a touch of regret and knowledge that is unfamiliar to me. But it is still very much Matt's voice, and it's utter beauty makes me want to bottle it up and make it mine, only mine, forever. From the sad, pensive looks in the eyes of the bar patrons, I can tell they feel the same.

_Sing us a song, you're the piano man  
Sing us a song tonight  
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody  
And you've got us all feelin' all right_

* * *

_One of the waitresses, a nice girl named Misa, came to sit by me.  
"Mattie, dear, what did you want to do when you grew up?" she asks, trying to fill the silence. I smiled. "A detective," I replied. "How about you?" She laughed. "I wanted to be the first female prime misiter of Japan."_

* * *

He looks up at me as he sings, his eyes shining bright. How I managed to go even a second without him was beyond me, but I know I will never part from him again.

_But there's some place that he'd rather be  
He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me."  
As his smile ran away from his face  
"Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star  
If I could get out of this place"_

* * *

_An auburn haired man walked into the bar. He sat down in the chair next to my piano, buried his face in his hands, and sighed.  
"This is killing me," he mumbled, and any semblance of a smile he held upon his face abruptly fled away."What is?" I asked, trying to sound concerned, although how much sympathy could I really feel for the man who made Misa so sad. "My job," he replied. "Promise you won't judge me?"_

* * *

I look around at the people in the bar. Several obvious regulars stand out, looking directly at Matt with their hands on the hearts, the faces showing just how much they would miss this talented and kind hearted boy. _Man. He's a man now Mello, you both are. _Where did the time go?

_Oh, la la la, di da da  
La la, di da da da dum  
__Now__ Paul __is__ a real estate __novelist_

* * *

_A tall, black-haired man in an official-looking business suit stumbles over to the chair next to my piano, giggling all the way. On further inspection, I notice that his hair is messy and his eyes are blood-shot.  
"Have you ever lost faith in all you believe in?" A strangely lucid sentence for someone who is so obviously stoned. "Have you ever lost faith in yourself?"  
He cocks his head to the side and laughs once more. "I know God, so I've NEVER felt like thaaaaaat."_

* * *

Other eyes are filled with tears, perhaps from the impact of experiencing Matt's talent for the first time. A goofy looking man with black hair stumbles into the bar, not drunk but still tripping over his feet. He stands at the door, looks up in Matt's direction and smiles, waving although Matt is not looking in his direction.

_Who never had time for a wife  
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy  
And probably will be for life_

* * *

_I stare exhaustedly off into the distance, and vacantly wonder why they're letting a gorilla in. As the primate makes its way towards me, I can see that it is not a gorilla, but a very large man.  
"Most of the guys on the police force have already settled down or are so young that they don't need to worry about such a thing. But I'm... I'm getting older, and as much as I enjoy the work I do, I've been wondering if I should have settled down by now too. I've just never had time for a wife or kids, and now I feel like I might be too late."_

* * *

The pretty blonde girl from earlier has now appeared behind the man at the bar. Her eyes are trained on Matt, and she is looking at him with such loving adoration, as if he is her son who is moving out of the house and across the country. She puts a tiny hand on John's shoulder, and he looks at her knowingly.

_And the waitress is practicing politics  
As the businessman slowly gets stoned  
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness  
But it's better than drinkin' alone._

* * *

_Loud, annoying laughter precedes a series of goodbyes as the time approaches midnight and many of the young people are starting to head out. I see that the source of the laughter is headed my way while waving goodbye to his friends. He is a young looking guy, probably still in his early twenties, with messy black hair that hung in his eyes and a goofy smile forever plastered on his face.  
He grinned sheepishly and looked at me. "Well… I'm 30 years old now. 30. By 30, I thought… I thought I'd be married, I thought I'd be… out of the police force, doing what I really want to do: sing."_

* * *

Her sad gestures do not go unnoticed by the klutz at the door. He looks at Matt and seems to realize what's going on. He gives Matt's back a bitter sweet smile, and I assume that he and Matt must be friends.

_Sing us a song you're the piano man  
Sing us a song tonight  
Well we're all in the mood for a melody  
And you got us all feeling alright_

* * *

_Not a day goes by where I don't miss my Mattie, but I don't regret leaving. I'll beat Near. I'll prove Matt right. I'll prove that damn Roger wrong and I'll show everyone who the real number one is.  
I miss his goofy smile, his flame-red hair, and his beautiful green eyes. I miss the way he always knew just what to say to make me feel alright, and I miss the way he loved me. I know it took us a while to get it together, and even when we finally did, there were so many obstacles facing us every step of the way. But I loved Matt, with all my heart, more than I have ever loved anyone else, even though I have never loved someone before him._

* * *

He really is incredible._ And he's leaving behind his dreams, his friends, his talent, to be with me. _Guilt begins to swim through my body, but then Matt smiles up from the piano, his eyes locked on to my face, and I can see that he is smiling for me and only me, and that he missed me as much as I missed him.

_It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday  
And the manager gives me a smile  
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see  
To forget about life for a while_

* * *

_I looked up from the piano keys to come face to face with L. Only it wasn't L, it was a mask, a humorous yet equally creepy rendering of the face of the world's now deceased three greatest detectives. Only one person would wear such a mask. "Near?"_

_"Hello Matthew. I heard this establishment had a fantastic, red-headed pianist who wore odd clothing and hid his strikingly green eyes behind orange tinted goggles."_

* * *

I know that we will face hard times in the near future. The Kira case is thickening, and I intend to solve it in any way possible. I'm a little worried that it's too much to ask for him to stick with me during this but…

_And the piano, it sounds like a carnivore  
And the microphone smells like a beer  
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar  
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"_

_Oh, la la la, di da da_

_La la, di da da da dum_

* * *

_"Only the good die young," a sweet, low voice sings from behind me. __I know this voice__. I turn around to come face to face with… "Hey, Matt! It's been too long."_

_"I never want to lose you again. I thought, maybe, you had found someone else. I can't live without you anymore, it feels too empty." I look down at him and wipe his tears. "Stupid. Who could ever replace you?"_

* * *

I know that we'll get through this. Together.

_Sing us a song you're the piano man  
Sing us a song tonight  
Well we're all in the mood for a melody  
And you got us all feeling alright _

**AN: Fin. I hope you guys has as wonderful a time as I have. It's a little bitter sweet to be staring part three, as it means the end of the trilogy is nigh. But I do look forward to it. See you then!**

**Love ya like you're MATT,**

**BeautifulLie1313**


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